Departmental Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what receptions and events have been hosted by her Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by third parties.

David Jones: The Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), and I have hosted the following receptions and events:
	16 December 2010: LATCH charity Christmas reception,
	1 March 2011: St. David's Day reception
	1 March 2011: LATCH charity St. David's Day reception.
	The following events were sponsored by a third party:
	13 July 2010: BBC Cymru Wales reception
	13 October 2010: Older People's Commissioner for Wales reception
	6 November 2010: Wales in London reception
	28 February 2011: Community Foundation in Wales reception
	21 March 2011: University of Wales Cybersecurity Summit reception
	29 June 2011: National Museum of Wales reception
	9 November 2011: CBI Wales/Sainsbury dinner
	21 November 2011: Probation Trust Wales reception.

Departmental Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

David Jones: The following table shows the number of named day PQs that received a substantive answer within five working days of the date specified.
	
		
			  Named day PQs 
			 June 2011 4 
			 July 2011 2 
			 August 2011 — 
			 September 2011 — 
			 October 2011 2 
			 November 2011 4 
			 Total 12 (100%) 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Air Passenger Duty

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has made to HM Treasury on the rate of air passenger duty for direct long-haul passengers departing from airports in Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North (Miss Smith), on 18 October 2911, Official Report, column 57WS. This set out the Government's position which the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), confirmed again in the autumn statement on 29 November 2011.

Departmental Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

Owen Paterson: The following table shows the number of named day PQs that received a substantive answer within five working days of the date specified.
	
		
			 2011 Named day PQs 
			 June 5 
			 July 11 
			 August — 
			 September 2 
			 October 0 
			 November 6 
			 Total (Number) 24 
			 Total (Percentage) 96 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department’s performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Summertime

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what budget his Department has allocated for the review of moving to central European time in the UK

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not allocated any funding for the review. The Daylight Saving Bill has yet to complete parliamentary consideration. Should the Bill be enacted, we anticipate any costs largely falling in the next financial year. Details of how to allocate expenditure have yet to be considered.

Departmental Procurement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years.

John Penrose: The Department has outsourced the following services in the last five years:
	
		
			  Service outsourced Company outsourced to: 
			 2007 The Department's managed IT service Atos 
			 2008 No services outsourced n/a 
			 2009 The Department's financial and: accounting transactional service Liberata 
			 2010 The Department's Facilities Management (Carillion) and Mailroom Services (Ecovert) Carillion and Ecovert 
			 2011 No services outsourced n/a

Departmental Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

John Penrose: The proportion of named day parliamentary questions which received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Answered within five working days  
			  Total number of named day questions Number Percentage Answered after five working days 
			 June 60 59 98 1 
			 July 66 65 98 1 
			 August 0 0 0 0 
			 September 22 22 100 0 
			 October 55 53 96 2 
			 November 49 49 100 0 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and. are available on the Parliament website.

National Lottery: Grants

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of National Lottery grant applications in deprived areas.

John Penrose: The Lottery distributing bodies—rightly—make their funding decisions independently of Government. I understand they are working actively to encourage applications from deprived areas and 'cold spots' that have received little Lottery funding.

National Lottery: Grants

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the ratio is of National Lottery funding given in grants in (a) Liverpool, Walton, (b) Sunderland Central and (c) Ashfield constituencies to how much is spent in those constituencies on National Lottery tickets.

John Penrose: The distribution of National Lottery grants is based on need for funds in each good cause and the impact that the funding could have in each case, rather than on the volume of ticket sales or on other criteria. I understand that Camelot does not collect data on National Lottery spend by constituency, but detail on Lottery grants awarded are available and is searchable at:
	http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/

Olympic Games 2012: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of residents in Banff and Buchan reside within (a) 10 miles and (b) 20 miles of the route of the Olympic Flame.

Hugh Robertson: The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) is responsible for the Olympic torch relay route.
	LOCOG did not devise the route by constituency, and as such, they have not measured the proportion of residents on a constituency basis.
	The communities through which the torch will pass were published on 7 November 2011, bringing the Olympic flame to within 10 miles of 95% of the UK population. Further detail can be found at:
	http://www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay
	Over a period of 70 days it is not possible for the Olympic flame to visit every community. As you will see from the published route the torch does not pass through Banff and Buchan, but will go close by, on its journey between Inverness and Aberdeen, and residents are invited, to celebrations along this route. The street-level route of the Olympic torch relay will be confirmed nearer to the time of the relay.
	The locations directly on the route were selected after two years of extensive UK-wide consultation, including with the Scottish Government but also local authorities and representatives of the tourism, heritage, sustainability, culture, education and sport sectors. A Scotland Torch Advisory Croup was set up to support the delivery of an operationally feasible route that visits as many people and communities as possible, without regard to political constituency boundaries.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what subsidies have been identified as environmentally harmful under the (a) framework of the Naegoya summit on biodiversity, (b) G-20 Pittsburgh summit and (c) Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe of the European Commission; and what steps she is taking to phase out support for such subsidies.

Richard Benyon: The Nagoya meeting for the convention on biological diversity in October 2011 agreed a new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20. Under this target 3 requests that by 2020 at the latest, incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity are eliminated, phased out or reformed in order to minimize or avoid negative impacts, and positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are developed and applied, consistent and in harmony with the convention and other relevant international obligations, taking into account national socio-economic conditions. DEFRA is currently examining the requirements under this commitment, along with the other commitments agreed at this meeting. However, we have not yet identified any subsidies that are harmful to biodiversity.
	With reference to the G-20 Pittsburgh summit, we are still committed to the aim to:
	“phase out and rationalize over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies while providing targeted support for the poorest.”
	The Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe, published on 20 September 2011, proposes a new pathway to action on resource efficiency. It proposes addressing markets and prices, taxes and subsidies that do not reflect the real costs of resource use and which lock the economy into an unsustainable path. The Commission's vision is to phase out environmentally harmful subsidies by 2020, with due regard to the impact on people in need.
	The Government are examining the Commission's Communication. We support the aim of addressing environmentally harmful subsidies and will work constructively with the Commission and other member states to reduce them significantly. However, we may wish to retain some flexibility, for example, to address issues such as fuel poverty.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason farmers in England receive more compensation for non-pedigree cattle over 36 months old affected by bovine TB than for pedigree cattle.

James Paice: Compensation for most TB affected cattle is determined objectively through table valuations which are true average open market prices for same category animals. To support table valuations, sales data is collected from a large number and wide range of sources.
	A higher compensation rate for non-pedigree cattle (in the same category) will be a reflection of the underlying sales data. Although unusual, we do see this occasionally in a small number of categories, including the one highlighted in the question.

Departmental Allowances

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much members of her departmental management board have claimed in expenses since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: Business costs for directors generals, the permanent secretary and non-executive directors of the departmental board in DEFRA are published and updated quarterly on the DEFRA website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/management/
	Details for quarter April to June 2011 and July to September 2011 will be published in due course.

Departmental Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has received representations concerning (a) the Big Society Bank, (b) the Work Programme and (c) volunteering since June 2011; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Since June 2011, neither the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), nor I have received any representations on the Big Society Bank or the Work programme. One representation has been received with respect to. Volunteering—a letter from Tom Flood, chief executive of BTCV (formerly the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers), providing information about and requesting support for BTCV's Carbon Army Big Green Weekend.

Fisheries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the monetary value of fish caught by the 10 metre and under fleet was in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The monetary value of fish caught by the UK 10 metre and under fleet in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			  Value (£ million) 
			 2006 75.0 
			 2007 87.1 
			 2008 85.4 
			 2009 76.9 
			 2010 79.9 
			 Source: Marine Management Organisation 2011 
		
	
	Work is currently under way to reform the fisheries management arrangements in England, with the aim of securing a more profitable, sustainable and unified fishing industry in the long term. It specifically seeks to tackle some of the difficulties currently facing the English under-10 metre fleet.
	We are aiming to set up some pilot groups next year, to trial alternative management approaches for under-10 metre fleet. Part of this work will look at ways to improve the marketing of the catch to increase profitability of the fishermen involved. The pilots will contribute to decisions on the final reform package.

Rural Areas: Broadband

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the £20 million to be provided for the Rural Community Broadband Fund is being provided by (a) Broadband Delivery UK and (b) the Rural Development Programme for England.

Richard Benyon: The Rural Community Broadband Fund is made up of £10 million European funding from the Rural Development Programme for England and £10 million Exchequer funding from Broadband Delivery UK.

Ashfield Prison: Reoffenders

Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people who participated in the project run by 2nd Chance at HM Prison Ashfield reoffended following release; what proportion of the total number of participants this represents; and what the average reoffending rate for people who have served a sentence at HM Prison Ashfield was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The reoffending data MOJ produces does not identify offenders who participated in a project run by 2nd Chance. Therefore reoffending rates cannot be calculated for these offenders.
	The following table shows the proven reoffending rates for adults (aged 18 or over) and juveniles (aged 10 to 17) who reoffended within one year of being released from HM prison Ashfield between January and December 2009.
	
		
			   Number of offenders Reoffending rate (percentage) 
			 Adults Sentence less than  12 months 40 65.0 
			  Sentence of 12 months or more juveniles 53 54.7 
			     
			 Juveniles  334 72.5 
		
	
	Proven reoffending is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow up. Following this one year period, a further six months is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.

Birmingham Prison

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was to (a) his Department and (b) the National Offender Management Service of preparing for HM Prison Birmingham to be operated by G4S.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested information for the individual competitions for the five establishments (HMP Birmingham, HMP Buckley Hall, HMP Doncaster, HMP Featherstone 2, and HMP Wellingborough), as these competitions were managed as one programme to ensure the most efficient use of resources. I am able to provide actual and estimated aggregated costs for these five prisons as follows.
	The costs supplied as follows are the most accurate that we can provide. Staff costs are based upon the person-hours that have been charged to the project for budget purposes. Generally, neither the Ministry of Justice nor NOMS implement time sheets. Therefore, it is not possible to attribute costs to the project for the actual hours worked, as this information is not known.
	The costs of all contracts included in the 'other costs' category are actual costs.
	All costs are given to two significant figures.
	(A) For their contribution to the work on the competitions for the five prisons listed above, we estimate the combined spending of Ministry of Justice Procurement and Ministry of Justice ICT to be:
	(i) £750,000 on staff;
	(ii) £0 on travel and subsistence; and
	(iii) £1,600,000 on other costs
	(B) The overall agreed value of the Public Sector Bids Unit/Business Development Unit for prison competitions was £1,100,000. It is not possible to provide details of actual spending for the reasons described in my earlier response of 17 October 2011, Official Report, column 669W.
	(C) For their contribution to the work on the competitions for the five prisons, we estimate that the combined spending of NOMS Business and Service Development Group, NOMS ICT and Estates is:
	(i) £830,000 on staff;
	(ii) £86,000 on travel and subsistence; and
	(iii) £800,000 on other costs.
	Operational input to supplier dialogue and evaluation phase have been excluded from these costs for Estates.

Courts: Security

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints HM Courts and Tribunals Service have received on the conduct of security staff contracted from MITIE in the last 12 months.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) records all complaints and are able to identify which of these complaints relate to staff conduct. However, it is not possible to identify how many of these complaints are about MITIE security staff within the cost threshold. HMCTS uses MITIE security staff at approximately 500 venues and would have to examine the complaints for each of these venues to establish how many were about security staff.
	HMCTS investigates all complaints made about the conduct of staff. Our contracts with MITIE specify the requirements for security staff employed on the contract, and HMCTS refers all complaints against MITIE contracted staff to MITIE for joint investigation at the location in which the incident took place. However, there is no operational requirement for MITIE to record the number of complaints made against them either regionally or centrally, so it is not possible to identify how many complaints have been reported at each individual court and hearing centre within the cost threshold.

Trials: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions defendants have been found not guilty by a jury due to mental impairment attributable to post-traumatic stress disorder in the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the circumstances of each case. It is therefore not possible to identify from these centrally held data whether the defendant has been found not guilty by a jury due to mental impairment attributable to post traumatic stress disorder.
	The law provides for persons who are not responsible for their acts due to a 'disease of the mind' to be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
	The number of defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity at the crown Court in England and Wales, from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			 Defendants found not guilty by reason of insanity at the   c  rown Court, England and Wales, 2006-10  (1,2) 
			  Not guilty by reason of insanity 
			 2006 16 
			 2007 10 
			 2008 22 
			 2009 22 
			 2010 14 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Boilers: Government Assistance

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in St Helens South and Whiston constituency have replaced a boiler under the boiler scrappage scheme.

Gregory Barker: The boiler scrappage scheme's evaluation data was broken down into nine major demographical regions, not local constituencies. For the North West region 17,897 vouchers were issued, the second largest total for any region. This is 15.2% of the total number of installations, which was 118,108.

Climate Change: Developing Countries

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the long-term finance from the Government's International Climate Fund for developing countries is projected to be delivered through (a) his Department, (b) non-governmental organisations and (ii) multilateral agencies.

Gregory Barker: £1 billion of the £2.9 billion International Climate Fund will come from the Department of Energy and Climate Change's budget. This funding will be delivered through others.
	The International Climate Fund started in April 2011. Given we are only eight months through a four-year fund, we are still deciding on potential delivery partners. The choice of delivery partner will be based on maximising impact and ensuring value for money.

Departmental Information Officers

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: As at 1 December 2011, DECC had 20 professional communicators, working across a range of disciplines.
	As of the same date, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority had 17 professional communicators; Civil Nuclear Police Authority had two part-time professional communicators; Coal Authority had one professional communicator; and the Committee on Climate Change had two professional communicators.
	The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group and the Nuclear Liabilities Financing Assurance Board did not have any professional communicators.
	DECC has no executive agencies.

Electricity: Prices

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average costs were per MWh of electricity generated from (a) coal, (b) gas and (c) nuclear in (i) 1981, (ii) 1990, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2010 at current prices.

Gregory Barker: In recent years DECC has carried out analysis on generation costs to inform policy decisions. The following table shows estimates of the levelised cost of electricity generation from coal, gas and nuclear that have been published by HMG since 2006. These have been converted into 2011 prices using HMT deflators.
	
		
			 Table 1: Levelised costs of electricity generations, £/MWh, 2011 prices 
			 £/MWh 
			 Source Gas plant—CCGT Coal plant—ASC with FGD Nuclear—PWR 
			 Energy Review (2006)(1) 40 32 43 
			 Mott MacDonald (2010)(2) 84 108 103 
			 PB (2011)(3) 79 98 76 
			 (1) Energy Review (2006): http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file32014.pdf (2) Based on projects starting in 2009. Report available at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/statistics/projections/71-uk-electricity-generation-costs-update-.pdf (3) Based on projects starting in 2009. Report available at: http://www.decc.gov.uk/publications/basket.aspx?filetype=4&filepath=11%2fabout-us%2feconomics-social-research%2f2127-electricity-generation-cost-model-2011.pdf&minwidth=true#basket 
		
	
	Please note that these costs from different sources are not directly comparable as assumptions behind the reference plant and operating environment have changed over time. For example the base case estimate in the 2006 Energy Review shown here does not include a carbon price, while the cost of carbon is included in more recent estimates by Mott MacDonald (2010) and PB (2011).
	While DECC does not have generation costs estimates for UK plant prior to 2006 and we are unaware of any running series of UK levelised costs data, there are other sources of data. For example, the IEA/OECD produced levelised cost estimates for coal and nuclear plants commissioning in 1995. These are shown in the following table (converted in 2011 prices). Please note that these estimates are not directly comparable to the DECC published estimates in Table 1 as they are based on different reference technologies.
	
		
			 Table 2: IEA/OECD levelised costs of electricity generation commissioning in 1995, £/MWh, 2011 prices 
			 £/MWh 
			  Coal Nuclear 
			 UK 84 71 
			 Source: 'Projected Costs of Generating Electricity: From Power Stations for Commissioning in the Period 1995-2000' (OECD).

Energy Supply

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made a recent assessment of the energy security and national resilience implications of the current level of diversity of ownership within the UK's (a) nuclear power and (b) renewable energy industries; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: Our energy policy is to ensure diverse and competitive electricity and gas markets. In July, we published the White Paper on electricity market reform which will deliver secure, affordable electricity from a diverse mix of sources, including renewables, new nuclear, and fossil fuels—including carbon capture and storage.
	The current nuclear fleet is owned by EDF Nuclear Generation (formerly British Energy) and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). Our policy to facilitate investment in new nuclear has led to three consortia (EDF, Horizon and Nugen) to come forward with plans to build new nuclear power in the UK to date. Renewables assets to generate electricity and heat can come forward at a variety of scales from the household level upwards and are owned by a wide variety of individuals and companies.
	This level of different ownership adds to security of supply and national resilience, and Government welcome further investment from these and other players to meet the needs of a secure and affordable low carbon economy.

Fuel Poverty

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of households that have been lifted out of fuel poverty as a direct result of the (a) Community Energy Savings Programme, (b) Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and (c) Warm Front scheme.

Gregory Barker: Estimates of the number of households removed from fuel poverty as a result' of the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP), Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT), CERT extension and Warm Front scheme were published in the following relevant impact assessments and reports:
	CESP:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/consultations/cesp/1_20090710121840_e_@@_cespia.pdf
	Warm Front:
	http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/uploaded/1442-ia-warm-front-eligibility100311.pdf
	CERT:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/about-us/Science/3149-estimating-effect-cert.pdf
	CERT Extension:
	http://ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/doc/uk_-_energy_efficiency_action_plan.pdf
	CESP was estimated to remove around 20,000 households from fuel poverty by the end of the programme and beyond; Warm Front was estimated to remove around 50,000 households from fuel poverty from April 2011 to March 2013 and beyond; CERT was estimated to sustainably remove around 163,000 households from fuel poverty from 2008 to 2011; and under the CERT extension to the end of 2012 around 185,000 households were estimated to receive measures to provide a long-term solution to fuel poverty.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many Housing Revenue Account tenanted properties have feed-in tariff installations in the UK;
	(2)  how many Housing Revenue Account tenanted properties have feed-in tariff solar photovoltaic installations in the UK.

Gregory Barker: Most feed-in tariffs (FITs) installations on housing revenue account tenanted properties are solar photovoltaic (PV), so the same answer applies to both questions asked.
	This information is not available in the form requested.
	However, latest available Ofgem data shows that 19.6% of all solar PV FITs payments are made to a generator or a nominated recipient for more than one PV installation, i.e. the single entity is in receipt of payment for more than one FIT installation. This “multi-installation” category includes social housing projects and other offers (such as commercial rent-a-roof schemes) where the occupant benefits from the electricity produced but is not in receipt of the FITs payment.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what methodology he used to determine the figures for a return on investment for solar photovoltaic tariffs set at the proposed rate.

Gregory Barker: The DECC FITs model calculates the generation tariff necessary to deliver an intended return on capital for a well-sited solar photovoltaic (PV) installation in any given tariff band. The tariff calculations are based on a reference installation in each tariff band with a defined set of characteristics. The tariff is set at a level that equalises all costs and revenues of solar photovoltaic systems over its lifetime, after applying a 4.5% to 5% return on upfront capital. A note setting out the methodology in more detail will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Afghanistan: Females

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure there is adequate discussion on women's rights in Afghanistan at the Bonn Conference.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 28 November 2011, Official Report, column 674-675W.

Armed Forces: Children

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to assist child soldiers who have been released from service.

Henry Bellingham: Britain is helping to assist the rehabilitation and reintegration of child soldiers. We do this indirectly, by funding organisations with the necessary expertise to provide children with the specialist care and approaches that they need to reintegrate into society.
	For example, in 2010, the Department for International Development (DFID) funded a £2 million UN1CEF project to help discharge and rehabilitate members of the Maoist Army in Nepal, approximately 3,000 of whom had been recruited as children. In the aftermath of the 2008-09 conflict in Gaza, DFID funded projects in 2009-10 which provided psychosocial support to almost 10,000 children and care-givers, and cleared unexploded ordnance at 20 schools, allowing 220,000 children to return to school.

Armed Forces: Children

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Ugandan Government on the use of child soldiers by the National Liberation Army.

Henry Bellingham: The British high commission in Kampala is in close and regular contact with the Ugandan Government concerning the full range of conflict issues affecting that country. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in particular poses the greatest threat to children in the region, and is responsible for numerous offences against children, including forced recruitment and acts of sexual violence.
	The British Government remain committed to helping the victims of the LRA and to tackling the root causes of the conflict. This includes allocating £16 million of funding to help young and vulnerable individuals as part of a wider programme in Northern Uganda, and a contribution of US$35 million towards a World Bank led effort to support the demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants in the greater Great Lakes region of Central Africa.
	The Allied Democratic Force/National Army for the Liberation of Uganda (ADF/NALU), which operates largely in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is also known to commit sporadic offences against children. Jamil Mukulu, the head of the ADF/NALU, is subject to sanctions under the United Nations regime applied to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Armed Forces: Children

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government have any diplomatic relations with countries in which child soldiers operate.

Henry Bellingham: Britain maintains diplomatic relations with the vast majority of countries worldwide. Child soldiers are present in several of those countries. We believe that maintaining diplomatic relations allow us to engage more effectively on the issue of child soldiers.
	The UN, which helps to lead the international response to the issue of child soldiers, does not implicate countries as violators of children's rights. Rather it identifies and lists specific parties to a conflict which are responsible for grave violations against children.

Departmental Procurement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not outsourced any new services centrally in the last five years, although it continues to manage those contracts where services have been outsourced outside of the time frame of this question.
	Procurement responsibilities are devolved to directorates in the UK and our network of posts. Information on all outsourcing activities are not held centrally in the UK and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill 2010-12

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have made of the potential effect of the provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill on the UK's adherence to the Ruggie principles on business and human rights.

Jeremy Browne: Following the UN Human Rights Council's June 2011 endorsement of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, in which the UK played an important role, the Government are fully committed to implementing those principles as part of a wider strategy on business and human rights. We do not believe that the reform of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill is incompatible with this commitment. We believe that it will still be possible to bring claims against multinational companies once these reforms are implemented, but that meritorious claims will be resolved at a more proportional cost, while unnecessary and avoidable claims will be deterred from progressing to court.

Turks and Caicos Islands: Elections

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he expects elections to take place in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: I want to see a return to democratic government in the Turks and Caicos Islands as soon as the necessary reforms have been put in place. It remains my intention that the milestones set out in the written ministerial statement of 9 December 2010, Official Report, columns 40-41WS, should be met and elections held in 2012. I will keep the house informed of progress.

Asylum: Finance

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much credit is allocated to section 4 payment cards for an individual with children.

Damian Green: £35.39 per week is allocated to all supported persons, including children. Additional credits can be added to the Azure card to supported persons with children. These include a £5 per week clothing allowance, a £5 per week allowance for children under one year of age and a £3 per week allowance for children between one to three years of age.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many internal audits have taken place (a) in her Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which her Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Between 1 October 2010 and 22 November 2011 the following audits have been delivered.
	
		
			 Area Final report issued 
			 Home Office core  
			 Crime and Policing Group 8 
			 Cross Cutting 2 
			 Financial and Commercial Group 20 
			 Human Resources 6 
			 Strategy and Reform 1 
			   
			 NDPBs  
			 Identity and Passport Service 7 
			 Independent Police Complaints Commission 1 
			 Independent Safeguarding Authority 7 
			 National Policing Improvement Agency 11 
			 Office for Security and Counter Terrorism 5 
			 Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner 4 
			 UK Border Agency 20 
			 CRB 9 
			 SOCA 13 
			 Total 114 
		
	
	We are able to include non-departmental public body (NDPB) data due to the fact that we provide audit services over a majority of the NDPBs. This would not be possible in other Departments where there are significant numbers of external bodies and/or internal audit services are outsourced. Specifically, as the internal audit services report to the agency/NDPB accounting officer, the Department internal audit services is not directly privy to them.
	The data was extracted from our internal audit management information system which is used to track the progress of our audit plan during the year. The data is held securely on our corporate network. The Internal Audit Unit provide a shared service audit to a number of agencies and NDPBs within the Home Office Group, however the process for recording audit progress is consistent across all of them.

Extradition: USA

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the contribution of the Minister for Immigration to the debate of 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 191WH, on extradition, 
	(1)  how many people were extradited from the US to the UK in (a) each year between 2004 and 2010 and (b) 2011 to date; and how many such people were US nationals;
	(2)  how many people were extradited from the UK to the US in (a) each year between 2004 and 2010 and (b) 2011 to date; and how many such people were UK citizens.

Damian Green: holding answer 1 December 2011
	The following table provides the figures requested.
	
		
			  Number of extraditions from the US to the UK under the 2003 Act Number of extraditions from the US to the UK under the 1989 Act Number of US nationals  (1) 
			 2004 2 2 n/k 
			 2005 1 0 n/k 
			 2006 3 1 n/k 
			 2007 7 0 0 
			 2008 10 0 1 
			 2009 7 0 0 
			 2010 5 0 2 
			 2011(1) 4 0 2 
			 Totals 39 3 5 
			 (1) Figures for 2011 are up to 29 November 2011 
		
	
	For the purposes of the question, we have taken the "UK" as meaning England and Wales. Scotland deals with its own US cases—as did Northern Ireland until 1 April 2008.
	The figures provided on the number of US citizens surrendered to the UK in the Westminster Hall debate on 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 191WH, were incorrect. The following figures have been updated in the light of the most recent available information about the nationality of persons extradited.
	Information regarding the nationality of those extradited to the UK from the United States has not in the past been routinely recorded, though records have been kept since 2007. Between 2004 and 2006 there were nine extraditions from the US to the UK, however, we have no systematic record of the nationality of the persons extradited.
	The following table provides the figures requested.
	
		
			  Number of extraditions from the UK to the US under the 2003 Act Number of extraditions from the UK to the US under the 1989 Act Number of UK nationals  (1) 
			 2004 3 5 2 
			 2005 8 4 6 
			 2006 16 3 (2)10 
			 2007 8 1 0 
		
	
	
		
			 2008 6 0 2 
			 2009 16 0 (3)4 
			 2010 10 2 1 
			 2011(1) 8 0 2 
			 Total 75 15 27 
			 (1) Figures for 2011 are up to 29 November 2011. (2) Inc. one US/UK dual national. (3) Inc. one UK/Iran dual national. 
		
	
	For the purposes of the question, we have taken the “UK” as meaning England and Wales. Scotland deals with its own US cases—as did Northern Ireland until 1 April 2008.

Repatriation: Expenditure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on assisted voluntary return in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what the (a) mean and (b) median cost per return was in each such year.

Damian Green: The Assisted Voluntary Returns programme (AVR) is made up of three schemes:
	Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme (VARRP);
	Assisted Voluntary Returns of Irregular Migrants (AVRIM); and
	Assisted Voluntary Returns for Families and Children (AVRFC).
	The AVR programme includes applying for travel documentation, flights, transport to the airport, assistance on departure, transits if applicable and transport from the arrival airport. It also includes reintegration support up to a maximum of £1,500 for VARRP, £2,000 for AVRFC and £1,000 for vulnerable AVRIM departures. Not all those who leave are eligible for, or indeed take advantage of the reintegration assistance.
	The UK Border Agency spent £4,325,272 on the programme in 2008-09 to return 4,558 people. A further £4,066,623 was spent from the European Refugee Fund.
	In 2009-10, £11,935,519 was spent by the UK Border Agency to return 5,132 people. A further £3,974,777 was allocated by the European Refugee Fund.
	In 2010-11, £5,763,551 was spent by the UK Border Agency to return 3,989 people. A further £5,090,793 was allocated by the European Refugee Fund.
	European Refugee Fund data for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are yet to be audited and we are therefore unable to provide total expenditure for those years. The mean cost per return based solely on the amount spent by the UK Border Agency is:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 949 
			 2009-10 2,325 
			 2010-11 1,444 
		
	
	Information on the cost of each return is not collated centrally. To calculate the median cost per return would therefore require examination of individual records which could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Average Earnings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average hourly rate of pay was for (a) each decile of the working population and (b) the top one per cent. of earners in current prices in (i) 1981 and (ii) 2011.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average hourly rate of pay was for (a) each decile of the working population and (b) the top one per cent of earners in current prices in (i) 1981 and (ii) 2011. (84462)
	Average levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	The ASHE replaced the New Earnings Survey (NES) in 2004. NES covered Great Britain (GB) only and the comparative estimates available from NES are the quartiles, median and the top and bottom deciles. NES did not publish estimates for all employees and estimates for full-time employees are only published from 1984. For consistency across ASHE and NES, estimates are provided for the quartiles, median and the top and bottom deciles for full-time GB employees.
	The following tables show the quartiles, deciles and the top and bottom deciles for hourly pay excluding overtime for full-time GB employees in April 1984 and April 2011 and also these estimates expressed in 2011 prices using RPI as a price deflator.
	
		
			 Hourly pay excluding overtime for full-time GB employee jobs  (1)  , April 1984 and April 2011 
			 £ 
			  Quartiles, median, top and bottom deciles 
			  10 25 50 75 90 
			 1984 2.10 2.60 3.37 4.58 6.34 
			 2011 7.03 8.98 12.67 18.65 26.90 
			 (1) GB full-time employee jobs on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. Source: 1984 estimates are sourced from the New Earnings Survey (NES) and 2011 estimates are sourced from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			 Hourly pay excluding overtime at April 2011 prices  (1)  , 1984 
			 £ 
			  Quartiles, median, top and bottom deciles 
			  10 25 50 75 90 
			 1984 5.56 6.86 8.92 12.10 16.75 
			 (1) Estimates of earnings at 2011 prices have been derived using the retail prices index as the price deflator. Source: 1984 estimates are sourced from the New Earnings Survey (NES) and 2011 estimates are sourced from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics.

Communities First Fund

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what targets his Department has set for the Community First scheme; and how his Department plans to monitor performance against such targets.

Nick Hurd: Community First is a small grants programme for England with a budget of up to £30 million over four years for funding to neighbourhood groups in targeted wards, and up to £50 million for an endowment match challenge. The Community First programme has been developed to encourage people to come together to make their neighbourhood a better place to live. The design of the programme is to ensure improvements are community-led and that people take responsibility for those things that they can do themselves.
	The endowment match challenge is being delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation Network. The small grants money is administered by the Community Development Foundation (CDF). The Cabinet Office monitors the performance of our delivery partners.
	The programme aims to stimulate more social action. CDF will monitor this through the funding applications they receive from the panels and through monitoring the web sites each panel creates to aid local visibility and transparency.

Cybercrime

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many meetings he has had with Ministers from the devolved administrations in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland regarding the implementation of the UK Cyber Security Strategy; and what matters have been discussed at such meetings.

Francis Maude: I have not met Ministers from the devolved Administrations to discuss implementation of the Cyber Security Strategy. However, officials from Cabinet Office met with their counterparts from the Scottish Government.
	Relevant officials from the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were consulted during the formulation of the strategy, invited to comment on early drafts and their input was incorporated into the final strategy.

Departmental Recruitment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the list of executive search companies on (a) Lot 1 of the Cabinet Office call off contract and (b) all other lots of the Cabinet Office call off contract; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The suppliers listed under Lot 1 (All Specialist Areas, all Sectors and all Functions) of the Cabinet Office Executive Search Framework are listed as follows:
	Appointments Commission
	Equal Approach (formally CHH Recruitment Limited)
	Egon Zehnder
	Gatenby Sanderson
	Hays
	Hudson
	Korn-Ferry Whitehead Mann
	Maloney Search
	Odgers Berndston
	Penna
	Rockpools
	Russell Reynolds
	Saxton Bampfylde
	Veredus
	Suppliers under all other Lots of the Cabinet Office Executive Search Framework are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Supplier 
			 Lot 2 (HR Function) Green Park 
			   
			 Lot 3 (IT Sector) Harvey Nash 
			  Elan Computing 
			   
		
	
	
		
			 Lot 4 (Communications and Marketing Sector) CJA Group 
			  Green Park 
			  Morgan Hunt 
			  Taylor Bennett 
			   
			 Lot 5 (Commercial and Procurement Function) Capita 
			  CJA Group 
			  Dickinson Smith Buss 
			   
			 Lot 6 (Social and Operational research, Economics, Statistics and Science and Engineering) BiSGeorge Henderson 
			  CJA Group 
			   
			 Lot 7 (Finance and Audit Function) Morgan McKinley 
			  Hoggett Bowers 
			  Morgan Hunt 
			  Northern Recruitment Group 
			   
			 Lot 8 (all Other Functions/Sectors not covered under Lot 2 to Lot 10 inclusive) Capita 
			  Harvey Nash 
			   
			 Lot 9 (Health Sector) Capita 
			  Harvey Nash 
			   
			 Lot 10 (Diversity Function) Green Park 
			   
			 Lot 11 (All Activities associated with Assessment) Capita 
			  Gatenby Sanderson 
			  Odgers Berndston 
			  OPP 
			  Penna 
			  Rachel Frost 
			  Right Management 
			  Rockpools 
			  Tribal Resourcing

Federation of Student Islamic Societies

David Lammy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 272W, on the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence between the Home Office and civil service fast stream officials regarding the status of the October Federation of Student Islamic Societies event.

Francis Maude: It is not departmental policy to release emails into the public domain. On that basis correspondence cannot be provided.

Government Departments: Procurement

Roger Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of Government contracts were aggregated into larger contracts as part of the procurement process in the latest period for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: holding answer 1 December 2011
	This information is not held centrally as centralised contracts aggregate spend rather than other contracts. The data we hold shows that in 2010-11, £2.5 billion of central Government expenditure was aggregated using Government Procurement Service contracts.

Government Departments: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made towards meeting the Government's target that 25 per cent. of central Government supplies are procured from small and medium-sized enterprises.

Francis Maude: The Government have made progress in encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to compete for Government contracts. We have published a progress report on "Making Government business more accessible to SMEs". This can be found at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/government-business-smes
	Departments' total procurement spend and direct spend with SMEs are published in their Quarterly Data Summary on departmental websites and the No. 10 website. The most recent figures are for October 2011. This can be found at:
	www.number10.gov.uk/news/business-plan-data-oct11/

Infrastructure: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what critical national infrastructure is (a) based in Scotland and (b) under the legislative competence of the Scottish Government.

Francis Maude: For reasons of national security we do not publish details of what is assessed to be critical national infrastructure (CNI) or provide information about location.
	Responsibility for critical national infrastructure sites within Scotland varies depending on whether sectors or sub-sectors are devolved or reserved. Devolved sectors are the responsibility of the Scottish Government; and reserved sectors the responsibility of Sector Sponsor Departments.
	The Home Office also bears risk at Government level arising from its responsibility for UK national security and counter-terrorism policy including CNI protection (from national security threats).

Stationery Office: Security

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with The Stationery Office on secure storage of Government documents prior to publication.

Francis Maude: holding answer 1 December 2011
	The Stationery Office is subject to the same security and confidentiality considerations as any other third party supplier to government. This includes complying with best practice standards for Information Assurance such as the British Standard BS27000 series. Where sensitive government information is concerned then more robust requirements may apply, as set out in the HMG Security Policy Framework, available from the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/resource-library/security-policy-framework
	I have not held any meetings with The Stationery Office to discuss storage issues. The National Archives (TNA) manages the contract with The Stationery Office for the publication of legislation and statutory instruments, this includes appropriate security requirements.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with organisations representing deaf young people on improving access to National Citizen Service programmes for (a) deaf young people and (b) other young people with a disability.

Nick Hurd: It is important that young people with disabilities, including young deaf people, are able to play a full part in National Citizen Service. The Cabinet Office sought advice from disability organisations to produce a plan to enable young people with disabilities to take part, which providers were assessed on. We will learn from the evaluation of the 2011 pilots, due to be published in February 2012, to further ensure that there are no barriers to participating in National Citizen Service. Department for Education staff plan to meet with The National Deaf Children's Society in the new year to discuss how to improve access to National Citizen Service.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department has taken to ensure deaf young people have access to National Citizen Service programmes.

Nick Hurd: During the bidding process for the 2012 pilots, providers were closely assessed on how they would adapt their programmes to support participants with additional needs. They have planned a range of measures for the recruitment and activity phases.
	Providers of the 2011 pilots made a range of adaptations to allow deaf young people to participate. These included in-kind support from NDCS including a volunteer interpreter; use of hearing loops where available; awareness training for staff working with the young person; use of text messaging; and allowing peer supporters to attend with the young person. Providers will be supported to build on this for delivery in 2012.
	The independent evaluation of the National Citizen Service will provide further detail on providers' effectiveness at addressing any barriers to participation, and the Department will ensure that any lessons from this are learnt and implemented. The evaluation is due for publication in February 2012.

Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on the future of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Government are minded to abolish the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) as a statutory body but will explore options for continuing to gain the disability advice it needs through a more flexible, accountable structure. I made a written ministerial statement on 7 June 2011, Official Report, columns 21-2WS, seeking views and evidence with regard to potential successor arrangements. I also held a workshop with stakeholders on 11 July.
	These views have informed the possible successor arrangements and I intend to consult formally on these early in the new year.
	I will consider the responses to this consultation, including whether those responses affect the decision to abolish DPTAC.

Driving Instruction

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with (a) the police and (b) other public bodies on the potential benefits of providing preparatory training to young people before they learn to drive; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: holding answer 1 December 2011
	The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has not had any discussions on this issue. I have had discussed the benefits of improving the learning to drive process with a number of stakeholders.
	While understanding road safety issues from a young age is important, research suggests that giving pre-learners driving skills before they are 17-years-old may not have a road safety benefit.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to her Department will be of reorganising the Maritime Coastguard Agency in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and what steps she is taking to ensure the level of safety is not affected by the closure of coastguard stations.

Michael Penning: holding answer 1 December 2011
	The cost of reorganising the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in 2011-12 will comprise, largely, the opportunity cost of staff time, including any associated items such as travel and expenses, and the direct costs incurred in running the public meetings held in conjunction with the first public consultation. A more detailed breakdown could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Following the decision announced on 22 November, reorganisation costs for 2012-13 will be dependent on the outcome of, among other things, negotiations with the trade union, and the terms of any contractual or other agreements entered into during the period. There will also be the opportunity costs associated with staff time and associated travel and expenses.
	Throughout this reorganisation the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will continually assess risk; the timetable for Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) closures will remain flexible for operational reasons.
	HM Coastguard will maintain appropriate levels of service during this period by utilising both existing area pairing arrangements and the incremental closure of MRCCs once the Maritime Operations Centre (MOC) is commissioned, tested and fully operational.
	The decision to locate the MOC at Kites Croft, Fareham (a site designed and built originally to be the South East Fire Control Centre) removes the requirement to either construct or refurbish an existing building. This enables the MOC to be fully operational at the earliest opportunity, reducing both the complexity and risk involved with setting up the MOC as well as the risk of MRCCs absorbing the workload from the closing stations.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Empty Property

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has for the future of the empty premises (a) owned and (b) leased by the Maritime Coastguard Agency following the closure of coastguard stations in (i) Liverpool and (ii) the UK.

Michael Penning: The maritime rescue co-ordination centres (MRCCs) at Great Yarmouth and Clyde are leased properties and will be vacated at the end of their tenure as agreed with the respective landlords. The MRCCs at Forth, Brixham and Portland are Crown properties and will be sold following vacation.
	The MRCC at Lee-on-Solent is provided under an agreement with the Home and Communities Agency (formerly South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)) and will be vacated following the opening of the maritime operations centre at Kites Croft, Fareham.
	Under the Coastguard Modernisation programme, the coastguard co-ordination function currently located in the MRCCs at Liverpool, Thames and Swansea will cease; these buildings will remain on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) estate to support other operational coastguard and marine office survey activity in these areas.
	Capacity released at these sites will be utilised to develop and house the coastguard coastal operations hubs outlined in the “Blueprint for Future Coastguard Organisation in the UK” to provide additional management support to the volunteer coastguard rescue service.

Rescue Services: Portland

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will publish the analyses upon which her decision to close the search and rescue helicopter base at Portland was based.

Michael Penning: It is the intention of the Department to publish the basing analysis and assurance review which was used to determine the future basing strategy for search and rescue helicopters. I intend to make this available via the Department for Transport website and will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions (a) she, (b) her immediate predecessor and (c) other Ministers in her Department have had with Severn River Crossings plc and others on the future of the Severn Crossing following the end of the current concession.

Michael Penning: I have stated that no decisions have been taken on the future of the Crossing; and Ministers have had no discussions on arrangements after the end of the concession period.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she intends to publish plans for the future of the Severn river crossing following the end of the concession period.

Michael Penning: As I stated to the Welsh Affairs Committee in May, we have made no decisions about the future of the Severn crossings. We have no plans to make any decisions on the crossings while the Welsh Government continues their study of the economic effects of tolling.

AWE: Industrial Health and Safety

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Health and Safety Executive plans to announce its decision on what steps will be taken concerning the Atomic Weapons Establishment following the fire at the Establishment on 3 August 2010; and what the reasons are for the time taken in making this decision.

Chris Grayling: The investigation into the unfortunate event referred to, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, has been thorough and involved detailed and extensive consideration of the incident of 3 August 2010 and the circumstances preceding it. In line with its published procedures and policies for investigation and enforcement, HSE is currently awaiting independent legal opinion on its report into the incident before a final decision is made. I understand that this opinion is due to be delivered in early January and a decision will be made and announced soon afterwards by HSE.

Departmental Civil Proceedings

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which organisations that have received funding from his Department have brought legal proceedings against his Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether his Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions in-house litigation division dealt with 4,059 potential or actual claims brought against the Department since the beginning of 2007. The additional information requested such as which of the organisations bringing claims received funding from the Department and relating to the success and costs of these actions are not held on a central record. In order to be able to provide answers, it would be necessary to retrieve the majority of these files from our central storage facility which is located outside of London. Each individual file would then have to be interrogated to establish what information is held, some of these cases will be of a considerable size. I would estimate that this would take at least several weeks and would therefore be at a disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what alternatives to a 12-month time-limit on contributory employment and support allowance were considered by his Department; and what the reasons were for not pursuing any such alternatives.

Chris Grayling: The Department considered a number of different periods, but concluded that a time limit of one year gives the best balance between allowing people in the work-related activity group with longer term conditions to adjust to their health condition and paying contribution-based employment and support allowance for an appropriate length of time.
	The time limit does not apply to the most vulnerable in the support group nor the poorest on income-related employment and support allowance. It is double the length of time that people can receive contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance. The Department also considered the needs of the taxpayer as well as claimants in making its decision to introduce a time limit.

Employment and Support Allowance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of time-limiting contributory employment and support allowance (ESA) on benefits advice services and other support organisations; and what discussions his Department has had with organisations, such as Citizens Advice, about the effects such time-limiting of contributory ESA will have on their services.

Chris Grayling: The impacts of time-limiting contributory employment and support allowance to one year for those in the Work Related Activity Group were set out in the impact assessment, available at the following link:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/esa-time-limit-wr2011-ia-revised-apr2011.pdf
	The impacts on benefits advice services and other support organisations have not been quantified due to the uncertainty around take up of these services by those affected. However, the Department has a programme of regular engagement with stakeholders such as Citizens Advice in order to help ensure that claimants receive the appropriate advice about how the changes may affect them and take any necessary action as a result.

Employment Schemes

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to ensure funds from the Youth Contract programme flow proportionally to areas with high incidences of long-term unemployment and economic inactivity.

Chris Grayling: We are currently working to design the details of the support available through the Youth Contract and will be making further information available over the coming weeks.
	However, I can tell you that elements of Youth Contract support are targeted at young people who are longer-term unemployed so that more money will flow to areas where longer-term unemployment is higher. Specifically:
	increased adviser time will be available from month three of a JSA claim for 18 to 24-year-olds who have not yet entered the Work programme, with weekly signing from month three.
	Work experience placements are available to 18 to 24-year-olds claiming JSA from week 13 of their claim,
	The wage incentive scheme will be delivered through the Work programme. This will ensure that it is targeted at long-term unemployed young people and those who face the most significant disadvantages.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the right to data in the Open Services White Paper will apply to the Work Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Department is committed to Open Government and Open Data and is exploring the scope for new Open Data measures.
	The Department currently expects to publish official statistics on referrals to the Work Programme from spring 2012 and job outcome figures from autumn 2012. We expect to make these publicly available by various breakdowns including age; gender; ethnicity; disability; provider; local authority; parliamentary constituency; and contract package area. However, this is dependant on the availability and quality of data from the administrative systems.
	The exact details of what Work Programme official statistics we will publish will be available once we have developed more detailed requirements and are confident that the data are of sufficient quality to publish.
	An information note detailing the Work Programme official statistics release strategy can be found at the following website:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php? page=statistical_summaries
	Included in the note is an invitation for feedback on the type of statistics users would like to see made available for the Work Programme.
	As soon as we are confident we have reliable data we will pre-announce an exact release date via this website and on the UK Statistics Authority publication hub. Statistics will be published in the DWP quarterly statistical summary and via an internet based tabulation tool offering users bespoke breakdowns of the headline statistics.

Housing Benefit

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology will be used to calculate future discretionary housing payment allocations in relation to the Government's planned increase.

Steve Webb: The Government’s contribution towards discretionary housing payments for 2012-13 will be £60 million.
	The methodology for 2012-13 constitutes two parts; £20 million has been allocated based on the midpoint between Government contribution and the actual amount spent by a local authority in 2010-11; the £40 million balance has been allocated to each local authority based on their share of the anticipated losses by HB claimants as a result of the reforms to the local housing allowance.
	Details of this allocation could be found in HB/CTB S10/2011 (revised)
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/s10-2011.pdf
	which we sent to all local authorities to advise them of the 2012-13 discretionary housing payments allocations.
	The methodology for allocating the Government’s contribution towards discretionary housing payments in 2013-14 will be decided by discussions with local authorities representatives and the Department during the summer/autumn of 2012.

Housing Benefit: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households claiming (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance in (i) Wales and (ii) each local authority in Wales have non-dependent residents living in the household.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not currently available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department does collect information on numbers of non dependents from the housing benefit/council tax benefit data source (SHBE) but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures to answer this PQ would incur disproportionate cost.
	Notes
	1. From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed HB/CTB data electronically from local authorities. Over time these will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics, as the information supplied is quality assured.
	2. Housing benefit caseload and average weekly amounts are available at local authority area level and these are published on the Department's website at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbctb

Housing Benefit: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in receipt of housing benefit or local housing allowance in Wales contain (a) one, (b) two or (c) three or more non-dependent residents earning more than £200 a week.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not currently available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department does collect information on numbers of non dependents from the housing benefit/council tax benefit data source (SHBE) but to assess the completeness of recording and quality assure the figures to answer this PQ would incur disproportionate cost.
	Notes
	1. From February 2007, DWP has been collecting more detailed HB/CTB data electronically from local authorities. Over time these will improve the accuracy, timeliness and level of detail available in the published statistics, as the information supplied is quality assured.
	2. Housing benefit caseload and average weekly amounts are available at local authority area level and these are published on the Department's website at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbctb

Housing Benefit: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of housing benefit or local housing allowance also claim out-of-work benefits in (a) Wales and (b) each local authority area in Wales.

Steve Webb: The Family Resource Survey estimates that there are 100,000 benefit units in Wales, in receipt of both housing benefit and out-of-work benefits.
	Estimates are based on survey data, and only allow for breakdowns to Government office region level, so information at local authority level is not available.
	Notes
	1. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of UK households. Data for 2009-10 were collected between April 2009 and March 2010.
	2. The figures from the Family Resources Survey are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to Government office region population by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error.
	3. Results have been rounded to the nearest 100,000 benefit units.
	4. The Family Resource Survey captures information on housing benefit and local housing allowance, but does not explicitly differentiate between the two.
	5. Out-of-work benefits cases have been defined as benefit units with at least one adult in receipt of one or more of the following benefits: income support, job-seeker's allowance, employment and support allowance or incapacity benefit.
	6. The Family Resources Survey is known to under-record benefit receipt and so estimates should be treated with caution.
	7. A benefit unit is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple and any dependent children; from January 2006 same-sex partners (civil partners and cohabitees) are included in the same benefit unit.
	8. A dependent child is defined as an individual aged under 16. A person will also be defined as a child if they are 16 to 19-years-old and they are:
	Not married nor in a civil partnership nor living with a partner; and
	living with parents; and
	In full-time non-advanced education or in unwaged Government training.
	Source
	The Family Resources Survey 2009-10

Income Support: Mortgages

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants receiving income-related benefit were receiving support for mortgage interest in each month of the last five years in each Jobcentre Plus budget area.

Chris Grayling: The total number of claimants of pension credit (PC), income support (IS) and jobseeker's allowance (JSA) receiving mortgage interest by region, from May 2007 to May 2011, are available in the Library.

Pensioners: Income

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners had a net annual income of (a) up to £5,200, (b) £5,201 to £10,400, (c) £10,401 to £20,800, (d) £20,801 to £40,000, (e) £40,001 to £80,000 and (f) over £80,000 in (i) Scotland and (ii) the UK in the latest year for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The following table shows the percentage of pensioner units with net income in each band. Figures for Scotland are estimated by combining three year's data from 2007-08 to 2009-10. Figures for the UK are based on 2009-10 data. Reliable estimates of the percentage of pensioners receiving between £40,000 and £80,000 per year and over £80,000 per year are not possible with the data source, so the two groups have been combined.
	
		
			 Pensioner units with annual net income in each band 
			 Percentage 
			  Up to £5,200 £5,200 to £10,400 £10,400 to £20,800 £20,800 to £40,000 Over £40,000 
			 Scotland 3 27 48 19 4 
			 UK 3 22 47 22 6 
			 Notes: 1. Net income before housing costs is gross income less income tax payments, national insurance contributions, contributions to occupational and private pension schemes, local taxes, maintenance and child support payments, and parental contributions to children living away from home. 2. Based on survey data and as such subject to a degree of sampling and non sampling error. 3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 1%. Figures may not sum to 100% due to rounding. 4. Due to the small sample sizes involved in estimates below a national level, three year's data have been combined and the income band has been deflated to the appropriate year's prices. 5. A pensioner unit is either a single person over pension age or a couple in which at least one person is over pension age. Source: Family Resources Survey.

Social Security Benefits: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of families in Peterborough constituency who will be affected by the proposed benefit cap from April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: We published an impact assessment for the introduction of the benefit cap on 16 February 2011. It can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/household-benefit-cap-wr2011-ia.pdf
	It estimates that, if the benefit cap were applied in full, around 50,000 households in Great Britain will have their benefits reduced by the policy. Sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results for areas smaller than the overall impacts for Great Britain.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with local authorities on delivery of the universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: We are engaged with local authority staff at all levels. Local authorities are a key partner and we need to utilise their expertise, skills and success in order to design a modern welfare system that makes the most of the best of national and local services and delivers them from the most appropriate place.
	There is a local authority chief executive represented on the Universal Credit Programme Board; The Local Government Association (LGA), Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) are represented on the Universal Credit Senior Stakeholder Board, Universal Credit Transition Working Group, The Finance and Commercial Working Group and the Local Authority Associations Steering Group. We also have seconded staff to key positions from many local authorities.
	We have also commenced a programme of visits to give individual local authorities an opportunity to feed directly into the UC programme as well as UC programme staff an opportunity to see the reality on the ground for local authorities.
	Additionally, the Minister for Welfare Reform, Lord Freud, has met with representatives from both the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers, and the Local Government Association at which universal credit was discussed. Ministers will continue to engage with these local authority groups in the lead up to universal credit delivery.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2011, Official Report, columns 569-70W, on work capability assessment, how many reassessments of incapacity benefit claimants have resulted in a recommendation to his Department that the claimant (a) should not receive employment and support allowance (ESA) or (b) should receive ESA in the (i) support group or (ii) work related activity group; and in how many such reassessments his Department's decision was different to the original Atos decision.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available. Information on the number of work capability assessments (WCAs) completed can be provided using the Department's management information system, but to know the outcomes of the WCAs and the variation from the Atos recommendation requires individual level data.
	Due to the overall length of the incapacity benefits reassessment process, information on the entire process including the final outcomes and subsequent destinations of claimants being reassessed is not yet available. Individual level data are being collected, but it will take time to complete because of the overall length of the reassessment process. The Department plans to publish data on the outcomes of the reassessment process, but only once it has been quality assured and is considered robust.

Academies: Private Finance Initiative

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what reports he has received of planned academy schools not going ahead due to difficulties with private finance initiative arrangements; which schools have been affected; when he expects to resolve this issue; and when he expects the planned academies to go ahead.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 October 2011
	A number of banks which finance PFI contracts have raised concerns as to whether local authorities have the legal power to make payments in relation to PFI academies. They are withholding their consent to PFI schools becoming academies until these concerns are resolved beyond doubt.
	At the same time, a number of banks have been happy to proceed and a number of schools with PFI contracts have successfully converted to become academies. 16 schools have been affected while 24 have converted to become academies.
	Local authorities do currently have the power to make these contractual payments on academies' behalf. However, we recognised the demand for this to be clarified more explicitly, which is why we have now amended the Academies Act accordingly. We hope and expect that the affected schools will now be able to proceed with their applications to convert to academy status.

Bus Services: Concessions

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the need to provide concessionary bus fares for 16 to 18-year-olds following the raising of the participation age.

Nick Gibb: Under our proposals to raise the participation age, 16 to 18-years-olds will have a duty to participate, but not necessarily in full-time education. Young people aged 16 to 18 will still be able to leave school and will have a range of options they can take and many young people will also undertake part-time work while they are studying.
	Transport represents one of the main costs associated with participation post-16. That is why the £180 million 16-19 Bursary Fund introduced from September 2011, will have the flexibility to help meet transport costs for individual students.
	This sits alongside the duty on local authorities to publish a statement each year that sets out the travel arrangements they consider necessary to enable young people of sixth form age to attend post-16 education.

Employment: Young People

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make an assessment of (a) the teaching of basic skills in schools in improving the employability of school leavers and (b) the findings of the British Chambers of Commerce's Skills Report on the confidence of businesses in recruiting school-leavers with A-levels.

Nick Gibb: The Government are committed to improving the employability of school leavers. In her report on vocational education, Professor Wolf found that achievement in English and maths is fundamental to future employment. We are currently implementing Professor Wolfs recommendations to improve the vocational offer for 14 to 19-year-olds by ensuring that more young people achieve at least grade C in English and maths GCSE by the age of 19. We have also introduced the English baccalaureate to encourage young people to study English and maths and those GCSE subjects which are most likely to help them progress to further study or employment.
	The British Chambers of Commerce report points to a lack of confidence among many businesses in recruiting a school leaver with A levels. The Government are totally committed to ensuring that A levels are robust, rigorous and relevant—to match the best education systems in the world and to keep pace with businesses' and universities' demands. We are working with Ofqual on implementing our commitment, set out in “The Importance of Teaching—The Schools White Paper 2010”, to establish a stronger role for higher education (HE) and learned bodies in the design of A levels.

Further Education: Finance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total funding is for 16 to 18 education (a) in total and (b) per capita in (i) Birmingham, (ii) Newcastle, (iii) Wakefield, (iv) Manchester, (v) Leeds, (vi) Liverpool, (vii) Coventry, (viii) Bristol, (ix) Sheffield, (x) Bradford, (xi) Leicester and (xii) Nottingham in each of the next five years.

Nick Gibb: The most recent Young People's Learning Agency's (YPUA) grant letter for 2011-12 sets out the total budget for the YPLA this financial year(1). The total budget for 16 to 19 education and training places in the financial year 2011-12 is over £7.5 billion. It is not possible to split out the funding for 2011-12 on a city basis because funding is predominantly allocated directly to 16 to 19 providers rather than via local authorities or regional/city bodies. The 16 to 19 funding allocations to individual providers (excluding 16 to 18 apprenticeships) are available on the YPLA website, however, at the following web address:
	http://www.ypla.gov.uk/aboutus/ourwork/funding/allocations/
	Details on the indicative funding for 16 to 19 participation in education and training beyond 2011-12 are not yet agreed.
	(1) http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/ypla/ypla-Revisions_to_the_ 2011-2012_Grant_Letter-le-sep11-v1.pdf

Higher Education: Admissions

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average UCAS points score of first year undergraduate students was in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: I have been asked to reply.
	The latest information is given in the following table and has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). Final figures for 2011 have not yet been released.
	
		
			 Average UCAS tariff points score of UK domiciled accepted applicants 2002 to 2010  (1) 
			 Year of entry  (2) Average score  (3) 
			 2002 284.9 
			 2003 296.2 
			 2004 304.8 
			 2005 306.6 
			 2006 312.8 
			 2007 315.1 
			 2008 312.3 
			 2009 314.3 
			 2010 323.6 
			 (1) The UCAS Tariff was first introduced in the 2002 application cycle. (2) Includes applicants who applied in each of these years for deferred entry in the following year. (3) The Tariff has only been reported for applicants domiciled in the UK, and excludes those with a tariff score of 0, or where the tariff score is not known. The scores cover only those qualifications notified to UCAS via the Awarding Body Link (ABL). Results available through the ABL arrangements cover a variety, but often limited, number of examination sittings depending upon the qualifications and the awarding body concerned—in many instances results are restricted to the most recent summer sittings (although GCE A levels cover qualifications sat in the last 18 months and SQA for a much longer period). Those qualifications that were not part of ABL arrangements, or those where the data upon which the qualification sat fell outside of the ABL arrangements, or where qualifications for which qualifications could not be analysed e.g. BTEC, have not been reported.

Special Educational Needs

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to review the level of special educational needs (SEN) funding allocated to academies within the remit of local authorities that already undertake a SEN audit.

Nick Gibb: Funding for pupils with high cost special educational needs (SEN) is the responsibility of local authorities. Specific arrangements vary from local authority to local authority.
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove, has recently consulted on wide-ranging reforms to school and academy funding, which include proposals relating to high cost pupils. The results of this consultation and further consultation on detailed future proposals will be announced in due course.

University Technical Colleges

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made on the potential effect of university technical colleges on the development of (a) green energy and (b) other emerging markets.

Nick Gibb: The development of university technical colleges (UTCs) provides the opportunity for universities and employers to establish new schools specialising in technical education to meet economic and skills needs. These may well include green technologies and other emerging priority areas which are important to economic growth both locally and nationally.
	There are 17 UTC projects in the pre-opening phase. They have a variety of specialisms including the Bristol and South Gloucestershire UTC specialising in engineering and environment technologies, the Daventry UTC specialising in new technologies which includes environmental sustainability and sustainable construction, the Nottingham UTC specialising in advanced manufacturing and low carbon technologies, and the Wigan UTC specialising in manufacturing engineering and green energy and environment technologies.
	We are committed to at least 24 UTCs before the end of the Parliament. These will help ensure that more school leavers each year have had a high quality technical education enabling them to go on to higher or further education, employment or an apprenticeship, while addressing the needs of employment and the economy.

Civil Partnerships: Ceremonies

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Rhondda of 15 September 2011, Official Report, column 1180, on civil partnership ceremonies, which organisations have registered their (a) support for and (b) opposition to legal reform to permit homosexual marriage; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: We announced on 17 September 2011 our intention to publish a formal consultation on equal civil marriage in March 2012. This would allow us to make any legislative changes before the end of this Parliament.
	From now until the publication of the consultation we will be meeting with a wide range of people with an interest in this issue, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups and religious and non-religious organisations to help shape the formal consultation document. These discussions have been held on a confidential basis and we have not asked organisations to register their support or opposition for this policy. When the consultation opens in March 2012, we will welcome comments from a wide range of organisations and individuals.

Departmental Advisory Services

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contribution his Department has made to the cross-government review of advice funding announced in July 2011.

Paul Burstow: The Government announced on 21 November 2011 that the Cabinet Office would be conducting a review of the free advice service sector to ensure that people continue to have access to good quality free advice services in their communities.
	Work has now started on the review which will conclude early next year with recommendations to Ministers.
	The review will build on work that has already been done across Government on funding issues facing the not-for-profit advice sector.
	The review is considering the funding environment for free advice services, likely levels of demand, and how Government can play a positive role.
	The review will be led by Cabinet Office who will be involving other Departments with an interest in free advice services. The Department of Health is keen to ensure that people continue to have access to good quality free advice in their communities and will therefore play an active role in the review.

Departmental Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which organisations that have received funding from his Department have brought legal proceedings against his Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether his Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases;
	(2)  what his policy is on (a) the recovery of legal costs from failed applicants for judicial review and (b) enforcement of any such recovery; and whether any exceptions apply.

Simon Burns: The Department dealt with 137 potential or actual judicial review claims brought against it in the last five years. The additional information requested such as which of these organisations has received any funding from the Department and the success of these action is not held on a central record. To provide this information would involve examining open files and recalling closed files from storage. This could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department’s policy on recovery of legal costs follows that of Treasury Solicitor’s Department. The Department will always seek an order for costs when successful in litigation, provided that it is both legally possible and appropriate in the circumstances. However, as many litigants are legally aided, an order is not pursued unless there is a change in financial circumstances.

Health Services: Males

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure cardiovascular disease in men is diagnosed as early as possible;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that type 2 diabetes in men is diagnosed as early as possible.

Simon Burns: The NHS Health Check programme is a national public health programme for people in England aged 40-74. The purpose of the programme is to identify an individual's risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes, and for that risk to be managed through appropriate follow up.
	The programme is aimed at tackling inequalities, including inequalities in gender. Primary care trusts are, therefore, commissioning programmes which aim to reach those who are not in touch with formal healthcare, including programmes to increase the take up of the NHS Health Check among men.
	In addition, there are a number of strands of work to ensure cardiovascular disease and diabetes are recognised and treated early in all patients, including:
	Raising awareness of the symptoms of stroke through the ACT Fast campaign so that people get to hospital quicker and receive life saving treatment.
	Use of statins (cholesterol lowering drugs). Around 6-8 million people are receiving statins, saving an estimated 10,000 lives every year. These are now also available over the counter rather than solely by prescription enabling more people to benefit.
	Tackling atrial fibrillation (AF). NHS Improvement is working with general practitioners (GPs) to ensure a systematic approach to the identification, diagnosis and optimal management of patients with AF; developing clear guidelines on anticoagulation to ensure that patients who have AF are appropriately anticoagulated, and continuing to promote opportunistic, screening for AF with the Atrial Fibrillation Association and the Stroke Association.
	The guidelines and algorithm published by NHS Diabetes and the Royal College of GPs in March 2011 will help GPs diagnose diabetes accurately for every patient. The new audit tools that have also been developed will help GPs to share information and look at similar cases to help to resolve even the most difficult of cases.
	GP training includes acquiring competence in recognising and managing appropriate aspects of diabetes.

Health Services: Sexual Offences

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps the Government has taken to improve the provision of health services to victims of sexual crime in the West Midlands.

Anne Milton: In 2010-11, the Home Office and the Department jointly funded the development of a health needs assessment of sexual violence in the West Midlands Police Force area and awarded grants to improve forensic medical services at the Rowan centres in Castle Vale and Walsall. The health needs assessment is complete and local partners are considering how best to develop sexual assault referral services to meet needs.

Health: Children

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill on (a) patient safety and (b) safeguarding children in London.

Simon Burns: Clause 20 of the Health and Social Care Bill inserts section 13Q into the National Health Service Act 2006 and is intended to give the NHS Commissioning Board responsibility for the functions currently carried out by the National Patient Safety Agency in respect of reporting and learning from patient safety incidents. The intention is to ensure that patient safety is embedded into the health service through commissioning and the contracts commissioners agree with providers.
	The NHS Commissioning Board will be uniquely placed in the system to utilise the information gathered by the reporting and learning function to support, encourage and enable safety improvement in the NHS. It will be able to combine insight from safety reporting with operational knowledge, leadership, authority and system oversight, to ensure appropriate levers, initiatives and support are provided to the NHS to improve safety.
	It is essential that current safeguarding responsibilities are sustained and taken over by new organisations such as clinical commissioning groups. NHS bodies have a statutory duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and are statutory members of Local Safeguarding Children Boards. These duties will transfer to the new organisations under the Health and Social Care Bill.
	In response to a recommendation' in Professor Eileen Munro's review of child protection, the Department of Health and the Department for Education published on 31 October a work programme, co-produced with key partners, to ensure that effective arrangements to safeguard children are central to the health reforms.
	As part of that programme, work is in hand to develop an accountability framework for the NHS contribution to safeguarding children, setting out more detail on the proposed new arrangements. This will set the framework for development both within the NHS and in local partnership arrangements.

NHS Trusts: Private Finance Initiative

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payment would have to be made to enable the relevant healthcare trust to exit each private finance initiative contract signed by his Department between 1997 and 2010.

Simon Burns: Under a private finance initiative contract, national health service trusts may terminate the contract with notice at any time, without having to prove right and regardless of any prejudice to the private sector. Under these circumstances, compensation would be payable to the contractor on a trust default basis, the financial calculations of which aim to put the contractor in a position that is equivalent to that had the contract run its full length. The size of the agreed payment will thus be specific to individual schemes.

NHS: Negligence

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical negligence claims involving a fatality were made in each year since 1997-8; and what the monetary value was of payments made against such claims in each year.

Simon Burns: The following table shows the number of clinical negligence fatality claims by the year in which they were notified to the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA), the number of claims closed in each year, and the damage paid in each year since 1997-98.
	
		
			   Claims closed 
			 NHSLA notification year Number of claims received Number Damages paid (  £) 
			 1997-98 223 223 14,275,129 
			 1998-99 659 659 24,600,103 
			 1999-2000 458 457 25,733,683 
			 2000-01 514 514 23,769,768 
			 2001-02 655 653 25,776,260 
			 2002-03 697 697 27,311,964 
			 2003-04 628 624 19,674,262 
			 2004-05 645 638 19,111,752 
			 2005-06 654 643 25,501,204 
			 2006-07 640 622 26,154,377 
			 2007-08 712 663 27,143,395 
			 2008-09 758 612 19,259,740 
			 2009-10 903 565 13,792,949 
			 Source: NHS Litigation Authority, 2011

NHS: Pensions

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS paid in employer contributions to NHS pensions in each financial year since 1997-98 in respect of (a) senior managers, (b) general practitioners and (c) nurses.

Simon Burns: It is not possible to segregate pension contributions by job type in respect of senior managers, general practitioners (GPs) and nurses from 1997. Employers pay contributions for all their employees and do not break down the contributions to job type level. Analysis of this data would involve disproportionate costs.
	Data relating to GPs and employer contributions are available from 2009. The following table provided by the NHS Pensions Agency illustrates the sum of contributions paid by GPs between 2009-11.
	
		
			 £000 
			 GP contributions to the NHS Pension Scheme 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Employer contributions 463,000 470,754 
			 Employee contributions 365,858 317,225 
			 Total contributions 829,426 787,979 
			 Source: The NHS Pension Scheme and NHS Compensation for retirement Scheme Resource Accounts. 
		
	
	GP practices are required to pay the 14% employee contribution for all staff who are members of the NHS Pension scheme, including GP partners who own the practice itself. As part of the new contractual and payment arrangements agreed with the GPs Committee of the British Medical Association in 2004, GP practices are provided with the necessary funding to fully meet the required employers pension contributions.
	Contributions made by and on behalf of GPs are to pay for pension promises being built up and are assessed by the Scheme Actuary using SCAPE methodology (Superannuation Contributions Adjusted for Past Experience).

NHS: Pensions

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of retired members of the NHS pension scheme who are in receipt of £33,000 or more per year as part of their NHS pension.

Simon Burns: The number of retired members of the NHS Pension Scheme who are in receipt of over £33,000 per year, and excluding any lump sum payments or any pensions arrears is as follows:
	
		
			  Pensioners 
			 2010-11 25,531 
			 2009-10 23,499 
			 2008-09 20,057 
		
	
	The data was provided by the NHS Pensions Agency.

NHS: Public Bodies

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date each (a) foundation trust, (b) NHS social enterprise, (c) pathfinder clinical commissioning group, (d) practice-based commissioning groups and (e) Pathfinder Health and Wellbeing Board in England was established; for each such body which has since ceased to exist, what the date of closure was; and which constituencies each such body serves.

Simon Burns: Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) has authorised 141 national health service foundation trusts. A table listing the organisations and their authorisation dates (as at 1 December 2011) has been placed in the Library.
	Since its introduction in 2008, 40 social enterprises have been established under the Right to Request policy by NHS staff working in primary and community care. These social enterprises comprise approximately 10% of community staff and 11% of the community services budget. A table listing the organisations and their go-live dates (as of 30 November 2011) has been placed in the Library.
	The pathfinder clinical commissioning group (CCGs) programme is about testing the principles of our proposals for clinical commissioning groups. As such pathfinder CCGs will be able to change their composition, as they work to find the most appropriate configuration for improving care for their patients, before they apply to the NHS Commissioning Board for to be established. With the announcement of Cohort 6 of the pathfinder programme 266 pathfinder CCGs were in existence.
	A complete list of those CCGs is available on the Department's website at:
	http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/context/consortia/
	The cohorts were announced as follows:
	Cohort 1: 8 December 2010
	Cohort 2: 17 January 2011
	Cohort 3: 2 March 2011
	Cohort 4: 1 April 2011
	Cohort 5: 7 July 2011
	Cohort 6: 10 October 2011
	Information on practice based commissioning groups is not held centrally.
	It is for partners in local areas to establish their own arrangements and time scales for setting up health and wellbeing boards.

Patients

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been treated by the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: The available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Out  -  patient and in  -  patient hospital activity, England (provider based) 
			  Out  -  patients In  -  patients 
			  1st attendances seen Subsequent attendances seen Total attendances seen Elective general and acute FFCEs Non-elective general and acute FFCEs Total general and acute FFCEs 
			 2001-02 12,612,615 31,062,363 43,674,978 5,286,086 3,967,192 9,253,278 
			 2002-03 12,878,799 30,886,026 43,764,825 5,413,638 4,013,308 9,426,946 
			 2003-04 13,430,530 31,689,082 45,119,612 5,549,737 4,289,573 9,839,309 
			 2004-05 13,370,173 31,397,428 44,767,601 5,529,668 4,549,542 10,079,210 
			 2005-06 13,726,838 31,494,275 45,221,113 5,762,285 4,781,500 10,543,785 
			 2006-07 13,600,443 31,109,612 44,710,055 5,964,409 4,895,313 10,859,722 
			 2007-08 14,214,277 31,488,416 45,702,693 6,499,121 4,974,598 11,473,719 
			 2008-09 15,536,590 33,176,698 48,713,288 6,778,017 5,205,350 11,983,367 
			 2009-10 16,412,534 34,327,011 50,739,545 6,951,646 5,364,563 12,316,209 
			 2010-11 16,954,190 35,498,064 52,452,254 7,211,663 5,499,325 12,710,988 
			 Notes:  The outpatient attendances are for all specialties. The Inpatient First Finished Consultant Episodes (FFCEs) are for general and acute specialties only. General and acute does not include maternity, mental illness and learning disability. Source:  Department of Health Quarterly Activity Return (QAR) for outpatient attendances and Monthly Activity Return (MAR) for Inpatient FFCEs.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which hospitals provide Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy Treatment (SBRT) for cancer patients; and how many (a) early stage lung cancer and (b) prostate cancer patients were treated with SBRT in each hospital in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  on what date the National Clinical Director for Cancer informed him of the need to develop a stereotactic body radiotherapy tariff; who in his Department is responsible for the development of the tariff; what progress his Department has made in developing the tariff; and when he expects to make the national tariff for stereotactic radiotherapy available to commissioners;
	(3)  pursuant to the answers of 27 June 2011, Official Report, column 536W, of 10 October 2011, Official Report, columns 311-12W and of 2 November 2011, Official Report, columns 636-7W, on radiotherapy, whether Commissioners are able to spend the extra £150 million allocated for new radiotherapy services on services unrelated to radiotherapy or the treatment of cancer.

Paul Burstow: The £150 million additional funding is included in overall primary care trust (PCT) baseline allocations. These allocations are not broken down by service or policy area. It is for PCTs to commission services using these funds to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities.
	The National Cancer Director has made no recommendation to the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), concerning the need to develop a tariff for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). We have said work is under way nationally to develop radiotherapy tariffs and this will include consideration of a tariff for SBRT in due course. The development of tariffs is the responsibility of the Department's Payment by Results team.
	Hospital Episode Statistics are unable to provide data concerning the total number of patients receiving SBRT or those receiving SBRT for either early stage lung cancer or prostate cancer. There is only one clinical coding available for identifying SBRT and this is for stereotactic radiosurgery on tissue of the brain. However, we understand that SBRT is already available to patients on the national health service in over a quarter of all radiotherapy centres in England.

Social Services: Standards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure consistent levels of provision of social care support across the country.

Paul Burstow: Local authorities are responsible for providing or arranging care services for their populations. Their funds are derived from local taxation and funding from central Government. The great majority of this funding is provided without condition. It is for local authorities to decide how best to manage their resources, according to local priorities.
	In the spending review, the Government recognised the pressures on the adult social care system within a challenging settlement for local government. It took the decision to prioritise adult social care by allocating an additional £7.2 billion to local authorities over the four years to 2014-15 to support them in meeting their social care commitments.
	When combined with a rigorous local focus on efficiency, this additional money will mean that there is funding available to protect people's access to care and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.

Tuberculosis

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in preventing the spread of tuberculosis.

Anne Milton: Provisional data for 2010 show there were 7,862 cases of tuberculosis (TB) cases in England, a decrease of 7% on the corresponding number of cases in 2009, which is encouraging. However, it is too early to say whether this is the beginning of a downward trend. Sustained action by national health service organisations and their partners is needed to improve detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of TB. Final data for 2010 will be published by the Health Protection Agency later this month.
	The Department and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have published guidance to help the NHS in commissioning and providing effective TB services. We are also funding the TB national charity, TB Alert, to raise public and professional awareness of TB.

Armed Forces: Crime

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many arrests have been made by the Ministry of Defence Police since May 2010; and how many of those arrests resulted in prosecutions.

Andrew Robathan: The Police national computer records that the Ministry of Defence Police hold 528 arrest summons reports within England and Wales, since 1 May 2010. The prosecution result of these arrests could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of (a) current and (b) former members of the armed forces who have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Andrew Robathan: The following table shows the number of patients attending a Ministry of Defence (MOD) Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) who were initially assessed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the period 1 April 2007 to 30 June 2011, the latest date for which verified data is available.
	
		
			  PTSD cases 
			 2007-08 174 
			 2008-09 142 
			 2009-10 195 
			 2010-11 253 
			 1 April-30 June 2011 59 
		
	
	Figures up to June 2009 are for each first referral of an individual to a DCMH. Since July 2009, each new episode of care has been recorded, meaning that individuals who have been previously treated and discharged from care, but subsequently re-referred, will be counted again. Equivalent verified data prior to 2007 is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	This answer incorporates data from the latest UK Armed Forces Mental Health Report (issued on 30 September 2011) which includes statistics on PTSD. This information can be found on the Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) website www.DASA.mod.uk under “Other Publications” and “Health/Medical Statistics”. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Ex-service personnel who require treatment for PTSD will receive it through their local NHS provider, and no central record is maintained of the numbers diagnosed with the condition. However, we continue to work closely with the Department of Health to improve the whole range of mental health care available to former servicemen and women.

Defence Acquisition Independent Review

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which recommendations from the Gray Review of Defence Acquisition the Government (a) has implemented and (b) plans to implement.

Peter Luff: The Ministry of Defence accepted the majority of the Gray Review's, recommendations, as set out in “The Defence Strategy for Acquisition Reform (CM 7796)” published in February 2010. The resulting actions have either been progressed, taken into Defence Reform more broadly or are being reconsidered as part of the forthcoming Materiel Strategy.

Departmental Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the same standards of animal welfare for whole eggs apply to imported liquefied eggs procured by (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible;
	(2)  what proportion of food sourced by (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible was procured from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what steps (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure that they meet the Government’s buying standards for food and catering.

Peter Luff: Catering for Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian personnel employed at UK Defence establishments is provided through regional prime contracts or under multi-activity contracts. Armed forces personnel ‘in barracks’ are primarily catered for through a number of catering, retail and leisure (GRL) and other multi-activity contracts.
	Information on the procurement of liquefied eggs obtained from outside of the UK and on the proportion of food procured under these contracts from UK suppliers, is not held.
	Contractors appointed under these arrangements are obliged to source on the open market consistent with meeting EU competition rules and quality standards.
	For armed forces personnel not covered by these contractual arrangements and those serving on operations and overseas exercises, there is a single food supply contract with Purple Foodservice Solutions Ltd (PFS). PFS lists approximately 1,150 different food-related items for the armed forces in the core range price list. Currently, they estimate that approximately 60% of lines listed (excluding fresh produce) are sourced from suppliers within the UK. The percentage figures for previous years, for which figures are readily available, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2006-07 43 
			 2007-08 59 
			 2008-09 62 
			 2009-10 60 
		
	
	The percentage of UK produced goods changes regularly as a result of seasonality; value for money incentives; and changes of supplier. Some products are manufactured using a number of ingredients from various countries including the UK while others, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, are sourced seasonally from a variety of countries.
	All food procured through the PFS contract, including whole eggs, is produced to UK and EU production and farm assurance standards or equivalent. We do not procure liquefied eggs under this contract.
	The MOD is fully committed to supporting the Government Buying Standards (GBS) except where operational requirements make this impractical. MOD food provision in terms of the operational arena and in circumstances of extreme training conditions is exempt from those GBS which may adversely affect the nutritional status and well-being of personnel. In these circumstances, it is recognised that the personnel are operating under very different circumstances to those which the GBS criteria were developed to meet.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on special advisers in 2010-11; how much has been allocated for 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: In financial year 2010-11, the Ministry of Defence spent around £160,000 on salaries for special advisers. The cost of special advisers are treated as one part of the cost of the private office, as such there is no separate allocation for special advisers.

European Defence Agency

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met the Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency; and what was discussed at that time.

Peter Luff: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has not yet had the opportunity to meet the chief executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA). The Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Minister for International Security Strategy, my hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Mr Howarth), met with the chief executive at the EDA Steering Board in Defence Ministers formation in Brussels on 30 November 2011, at which a range of issues were discussed including pooling and sharing, operations and partnerships.

Germany: Armed Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  to which local authorities armed forces personnel returning from Germany by 2015 will return; and how many such personnel will return to each such local authority;
	(2)  how many armed forces personnel will return from Germany by 2015.

Peter Luff: As stated in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Ministry of Defence aims to return half of its personnel based in Germany to the UK by 2015. On 10 November, the Army announced the return of some 1,800 personnel and their families to Cottesmore, Pirbright and Abingdon as part of a preliminary moves package. The local authorities concerned in these cases are Rutland county council, Surrey county council and Oxford county council respectively.
	Further work is currently ongoing into the future size and structure of the Army and this is expected to provide the detail of the estate requirements for the remaining units returning from Germany. Until work is complete, it is too early to identify precisely which local authorities will be affected.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an assessment has been made of the effect of the proposed transfer of the Typhoon force from RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth on flying hours per squadron per year as currently maintained at RAF Leuchars.

Nick Harvey: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 3 November 2011, Official Report, columns 694-95W.

Business Rates

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to introduce a scheme for businesses experiencing financial difficulties to defer payment of business rates from April 2012.

Bob Neill: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in his autumn statement that the Government will give businesses the opportunity to defer 60% of the increase in their 2012-13 business rate bills as a result of the annual Retail Price Index uprating, to be repaid equally across the following two years.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to my written ministerial statement made today on local government finance, which further highlights this Government’s support for business.

Tottenham Regeneration

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to support regeneration in Tottenham; and if he will make a statement.

Eric Pickles: We are providing £20 million for the Mayor to support the regeneration of Tottenham and Croydon through the London Enterprise Fund. The Mayor will be making an announcement about the use of this funding, together with additional funding from the Greater London Authority, in the new year. Funding from the Riot Recovery Scheme and High Street Support funding has also been made available.

Third Sector

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on the third sector of reductions in funding for local authorities.

Andrew Stunell: Local spending decisions are a matter for local councils but there is no excuse to target the voluntary sector disproportionately.
	We are working closely with the third sector to assess capacity and provide support, for example through the Transition Fund and Big Society Capital and we are looking together at opportunities for the Voluntary and Community Sector from increased local authority commissioning.

Housing: Fire Extinguishers

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment was made in developing the Building Regulations 2000 of the merits of requiring installation of automatic fire suppression systems in new residential premises with respect to (a) comparative evidence from other countries, (b) the effect on the environment of a reduction in the size of fires, (c) the effect on the economy of a reduction in the size of fires, (d) the effect on firefighter safety and (e) the risk of fire for an ageing population.

Bob Neill: The last review of the fire safety aspects of the Building Regulations was completed in 2006. The Final Regulatory Impact Assessment was published on 13 December 2006. This sets out the details of the assessments made at that time and refers to the cost benefit analysis that formed part of a 2005 study into the effectiveness of residential sprinklers. This study relied extensively on US data where UK data was not available. The Impact Assessment and the 2005 report can be found on the Department website at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/regulatoryimpactassessment10
	and
	www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/pdf/rpts/partb/sprinkler_section6.pdf

Housing: Older People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure house building schemes take into account the needs of older people.

Bob Neill: Part M (access to and use of buildings) of the building regulations already includes a number of provisions including level thresholds, downstairs toilets and accessible switches and sockets that help to make all new homes more accessible and age friendly. In addition, the Housing Strategy published on 21 November sets out Government’s view that new housing developments need to make further suitable provision for the ageing population by ensuring a mix of property types, including Lifetime Homes, which help to provide the diversity and choice needed to support longer term independent living. Future needs will vary considerably at a local level and we believe that decisions on the number of Lifetime Homes within each development should be made at a local level, in proportion to local need and aligned with other local housing support and information services. We are exploring how research undertaken by DCLG can be used to support local authorities in developing proportionate and effective policy at a local level.
	The draft national planning policy framework asks local councils to plan for a mix of housing based on current and future demographic trends and the needs of different groups in the community, including older and disabled people. The draft framework makes clear that councils should have a robust understanding of housing requirements in their area, and that they should produce local plans, in consultation with people in the local area.

Social Rented Housing

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of tenants of social landlords who are of working age and whose homes will be deemed to be underoccupied on 1 April 2013 in (a) England and (b) Stockport constituency.

Andrew Stunell: The latest available estimate is that 8% of social rented sector households with a working age tenant were under-occupying their accommodation in 2009-10. This estimate is a three-year average based on data from the 2007-08 Survey of English Housing and the 2008-09 and 2009-10 English Housing Surveys. Under-occupation is measured according to the Bedroom Standard. Households are said to be under-occupying their accommodation if they have two or more bedrooms more than they need according to the Bedroom Standard. An estimate for April 2013 is not available.
	Data is not available at the constituency level.

Social Rented Housing: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department has had with the third sector on provision of social housing in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry.

Andrew Stunell: As part of the affordable homes programme, the Homes and Communities Agency has undertaken a number of meetings and seminars for registered providers (mainly housing associations) in the West Midlands area. The Homes and Communities Agency also attend the quarterly regional committee meetings held by the National Housing Federation—the trade association of housing associations.
	The Homes and Communities Agency has held regular meetings with partners to ensure optimum delivery in Coventry. In the Coventry and Warwickshire area, Homes and Communities Agency is now working with 13 registered provider partners to sign contracts under the affordable homes programme. To date, contracts have been signed with eight registered provider partners to deliver homes in the Coventry and Warwickshire area. Of these contracted offers, registered providers have confirmed the level of firm and indicative units they will provide in the Coventry and Warwickshire area. In Coventry specifically, the current level of planned affordable homes delivery stands at 525 units. The Homes and Communities Agency is still in the process of signing contracts with registered providers and figures may change.
	The Homes and Communities Agency are also discussing with partners in Coventry the opportunities through the empty homes and community-led development funding, with them being encouraged to work with local authorities and Homes and Communities Agency to bring forward further delivery in this area.

Third Sector: Finance

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on the third sector of reductions in funding for local authorities.

Andrew Stunell: Local spending decisions are a matter for local councils but there is no excuse to target the voluntary sector disproportionately.
	We are working closely with the third sector to assess capacity and provide support, for example through the Transition Fund and Big Society Capital and we are looking together at opportunities for the Voluntary and Community Sector to benefit from local authority commissioning.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff the National Apprenticeship Service (a) had in 2010-11 and (b) has in 2011-12; and how many staff he expects it to have in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14.

John Hayes: The Department can report that the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) had 370 full time equivalent (FTE) staff in the 2010-11 financial year.
	In respect of the 2011-12 financial year, the NAS currently has 280 FTE staff.
	The Department expects the NAS to have a maximum of 308 FTE staff by 2012-13 and maintain this number during 2013-14.
	Data as at 31 March 2011—NAS staffing peaked at over 400 staff during the year, following the transfer of National Employer Service staff from the Skills Funding Agency.
	Data as at 31 October 2011, includes 29 staff who transferred in from UK Skills.

Business: Voluntary Organisations

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to opportunities for voluntary mentoring schemes to operate alongside his Department's planned business mentoring scheme.

Mark Prisk: Voluntary mentoring schemes are an integral part of this Department's work on mentoring. Just last month I announced new grant funding of £1.2 million to recruit and train 10,000 volunteer business mentors through the “Get Mentoring” project via the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI). This is on top of the 5,000 volunteer business mentors already announced by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), on 4 November 2011. Boosting the number of mentors by another 15,000 will help more businesses get this valuable help and broaden the range of experienced people available through the mentoring network.
	The “Get Mentoring” project will build on the work we began with the British Bankers Association (BBA) in July when we launched mentorsme, by helping to raise awareness of mentoring and increase the supply of experienced business people, who will then be accessible via mentoring organisations on Mentorsme.co.uk. With almost 11,000 business mentors already available through
	www.mentorsme.co.uk
	the “Get Mentoring” project will bring the total number of business mentors available through the mentoring portal to at least 26,000 by September 2012.

Credit

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many firms have been removed from the Consumer Credit Public Register because the Office of Fair Trading has (a) withdrawn and (b) suspended their licence in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: The following table shows, for the last five complete financial years, the counts of all consumer credit licences which have been surrendered ("withdrawn") or revoked. (Section 32 of the Act allows for the suspension of a licence as well as revocation but this specific power has not been used in the five years reported on). For the revocations, if no appeal was received, the determination to revoke date itself was used to decide which year to count them under. If an appeal was made, then the appeal decision date is used. Any cases with ongoing appeals are not included.
	In addition under section 37 on the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (the Act), a licence held by one individual (as a sole trader) terminates if he (a) dies, or (b) is adjudged bankrupt, or (c) becomes a person who lacks capacity (within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2005) to carry on the activities covered by the licence. I have not been able to collate the data in time. However, in the last two years, a link to the Insolvency Service data has been used which has seen a significant increase in terminations of type (b), to 200+ per year.
	
		
			 Number 
			  Licences revoked Licences surrendered 
			 2006-07 14 932 
			 2007-08 12 338 
			 2008-09 16 357 
			 2009-10 27 476 
			 2010-11 39 515

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to implement an assessment framework to measure the number of potential students reached through additional outreach activities undertaken by institutions as part of their access agreements.

David Willetts: This is a matter for the director of fair access. The Office for Fair Access has confirmed that the director makes no assessment of the number of potential students reached through the additional outreach activities undertaken by institutions through their access agreements.
	The director of fair access publishes annual monitoring reports setting out the outcomes of the Office for Fair Access' annual monitoring of access agreements. The latest report is for 2009/10 and is available at
	http://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2011-04+2011-29-OFFA+HEFCE-Access-Agreement-standard-report-web.pdf
	In February, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and I wrote to the director of fair access setting out our expectation that institutions should agree a programme of defined progress each year—set within a five-year time frame—in relation to appropriate benchmarks. We asked the director to move away from an assessment of inputs and processes to focus more sharply on the outcomes of outreach and other access activities. Universities will be able to focus their outreach and other activities where they will have the most impact.

Higher Education: Admissions

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UCAS applications have been submitted by residents of each parliamentary constituency in 2011-12 to date; and how many such applications had been submitted by the same time in 2010-11.

David Willetts: The latest information provided by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	UCAS have stated that year-on-year changes for all courses at this early stage in the cycle are often different from the position later in the cycle, and that it is too early in the cycle to extrapolate applicant volumes forward. The second table includes only those applicants who applied to courses with a deadline of 15 October. The main deadline for the majority of UCAS courses is 15 January 2012.

Higher Education: Admissions

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students enrolled in designated higher education courses with (a) all private higher education providers and (b) for-profit higher education providers in each of the last five years; and how many studied (i) at each institution and (ii) in each subject area.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold the data requested. However in 2010, the Higher Education Statistics Agency completed a survey of private providers of higher education based on the 2009/10 academic year. Within the sample of providers there were 38,000 students on higher education courses—these will not all have been studying on designated courses. The 2full set of findings is available on the HESA website as follows:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/2090/1G1/
	The following table shows the numbers of English- and EU-domiciled higher education students studying with private providers, who received some financial support via the Student Loans Company.
	
		
			 Academic year Number receiving financial support 
			 2006/07 3,300 
			 2007/08 2,800 
			 2008/09 3,300 
			 2009/10 4,200 
			 2010/11 5,900 
			 Notes: 1. The effective date at which the data are taken is at 31 August at the end of each academic year. 2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100. Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	These figures do not provide total numbers of students enrolled in designated higher education courses at private providers, as not all students obtain student support (for personal eligibility reasons or because they have pursued alternative funding means). As numbers are small, it is not possible to provide a breakdown by institution and course as this could identify individuals.

Higher Education: North East

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UCAS applications had been submitted by residents of (a) Stockton North constituency, (b) the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, (c) the Tees Valley and (d) the North East in the 2011-12 admissions cycle by 21 November 2011; and how many such applications had been submitted on the same date in the 2010-11 admissions cycle.

David Willetts: The latest information is in the tables and has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS).
	UCAS have stated that year-on-year changes for all courses at this early stage in the cycle are often different from the position later in the cycle, and that it is too early in the cycle to extrapolate applicant volumes forward. The second table includes only those applicants who applied to courses with a deadline of 15 October. The main deadline for the majority of UCAS courses is 15 January.
	
		
			 All applicants to UCAS as at 21 November by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile 2010-11  (1) 2011-12  (2) 
			 Stockton North constituency 273 147 
			 The borough of Stockton-on-Tees 588 389 
			 Tees Valley 1,792 1,292 
			 North East 5,392 4,237 
			 (1) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (2) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013. 
		
	
	
		
			 On time applicants to courses with an 15 October deadline  (1)   by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile 2010-11  (2) 2011-12  (3) 
			 Stockton North constituency 32 27 
			 The borough of Stockton-on-Tees 85 84 
			 Tees Valley 254 227 
			 North East 1,131 1,073 
			 (1) These are courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, and courses at Oxbridge. (2) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (3) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013.

Higher Education: North East

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UCAS applications had been submitted by residents in (a) Darlington constituency, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) the North East in the 2011-12 admissions cycle by 21 November 2011; and how many such applications had been submitted on the same date in the 2010-11 admissions cycle.

David Willetts: The latest information is in the tables and has been provided by the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS).
	UCAS have stated that year-on-year changes for all courses at this early stage in the cycle are often different from the position later in the cycle, and that it is too early in the cycle to extrapolate applicant volumes forward. The second table includes only those applicants who applied to courses with a deadline of 15 October. The main deadline for the majority of UCAS courses is 15 January.
	
		
			 All applicants to UCAS as at 21 November by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile 2010-11  (1) 2011-12  (2) 
			 Darlington constituency 251 204 
			 The Tees Valley 1,792 1,292 
			 The North East 5,392 4,237 
			 (1) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (2) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013. 
		
	
	
		
			 On time applicants to courses with an 15 October deadline  (1)   by parliamentary constituency/region 
			  Application cycle 
			 Area of domicile 2010-11  (2) 2011-12  (3) 
			 Darlington constituency 41 28 
			 The Tees Valley 254 227 
			 The North East 1,131 1,073 
			 (1) These are courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science, and courses at Oxbridge. (2) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2011, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2012. (3) Applicants applying to enter courses starting in autumn 2012, including those who applied for deferred entry in 2013.

Higher Education: Regulation

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) universities, (b) private and for-profit providers and (c) students on his proposed changes to the Higher Education Regulatory Framework.

David Willetts: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and I meet regularly with a wide range of current and prospective higher education providers and with representative bodies in the higher education sector. Discussions over proposed changes to the higher education regulatory framework have featured in many of these meetings. A quarterly-updated list of all BIS ministerial meetings with external organisations is available at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff
	In addition, BIS officials held two stakeholder meetings as part of the technical consultation on the proposed regulatory framework, which ran until 27 October. 60 delegates were invited from a wide range of bodies in the higher education sector, including representatives of higher education institutions, further education colleges, alternative providers, mission groups, unions, including the National Union for Students, partner bodies and other representative bodies.

Higher Education: Scholarships

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of university applicants who will apply to the National Scholarship Programme for the academic year 2012-13; and how many applicants he expects to be awarded funding under the programme.

David Willetts: The National Scholarship Programme is designed to help people of all ages whose family income is no greater than £25,000 per annum. Higher education institutions set their own criteria for determining entitlement to an award from among this broad group of people. Institutions will offer a range of support from a menu which includes tuition fee waivers or discounts, subsidised accommodation and other institutional support, and a cash bursary—capped at£1,000.
	All institutions that intend to charge more than the basic rate for tuition from 2012 are required to participate in the programme and contribute match funding. Universities are responsible for advertising their criteria and making the awards. The Government have made no estimate of the number of students who are likely to apply to universities.
	In the first year, the Government will contribute £50 million towards the NSP with the minimum level for an award set at £3,000 for each eligible full-time student. That would mean around 17,000 students would benefit. Of course the actual number is likely to be larger than this when institutions' match funding is taken into account as well as awards made to students studying part-time. By 2014/15 when the programme is fully operational, the Government's contribution to the National Scholarship Programme will be three times higher and, with match funding, up to 100,000 students a year could be being supported.

Industrial Disputes

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many responses from small businesses his Department received to its Resolving Workplace Disputes consultation.

Edward Davey: This information is available in "Resolving Workplace Disputes: Government response to the consultation" which was published on 23 November 2011 and a copy of which has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Private Sector: Employment

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which former public sector workers have found employment in the private sector.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	The latest Office for Budget Responsibility forecast is for overall employment to grow by around one million between 2011 and 2017, with a fall of around 700,000 in public sector employment more than offset by a 1.7 million rise in the number employed in the private sector.
	No specific assessment has been made of the extent to which workers previously employed in the public sector subsequently move to private sector jobs, although the labour market is highly fluid. In the last year Jobcentre Plus has taken over three million new vacancies and across the labour market as a whole there have been six million moves into work or between jobs.
	Most people who lose their job and become unemployed are able to leave quickly, with over half of new JSA claims lasting less than three months and three-quarters lasting less than six months. Help and support is available through Jobcentre Plus for all individuals affected by job losses regardless of the part of the economy in which they were previously employed.

Procurement: EU Action

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what safeguards (a) he will encourage his EU counterparts to put in place and (b) are already in place to ensure that there is an equitable advertising and procurement policy enforced across all EU member states for Government-backed manufacturing and servicing contracts relating to (i) the emerging off-shore wind industry and (ii) other industries.

Mark Prisk: EU public procurement is governed by the 2004 European directive which requires all contracts for goods, services and works over certain thresholds to be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) to allow equitable access to business across the EU. An equivalent directive applies to utilities. The UK Government advertise all central Government tendering opportunities over £10,000 on Contracts Finder. Government will negotiate in the EU for a radical simplification of the relevant directives, to make it easier for businesses to access contracts let by all member states across the EU.
	In the UK, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), announced the outcomes of the Government Growth Review on public procurement on 21 November 2011. Government will now publish medium-term rolling demand pipelines on areas of significant Government spend by April 2012; will engage strategically with industry supply chains to identify the key capabilities needed to meet this demand; and undertake better pre-procurement engagement with supply chains around sub-contracting opportunities for specific projects. The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and the Cabinet Office will be working with the wider public sector and regulated industries to apply these reforms beyond central Government.

Royal Mail: Glasgow

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with Royal Mail on the future of customer service operations at the Glasgow Mail Centre.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has not had any discussions with Royal Mail on the future of customer service operations at the Glasgow Mail Centre.
	This is an operational matter for Royal Mail and I have therefore asked the chief executive, Moya Greene, to respond directly to my hon. Friend. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Skills Funding Agency: Redundancy

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the operational effects of redundancies at the Skills Funding Agency in the next 12 months.

John Hayes: The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is responsible for allocating funding to further education (FE) colleges and training providers for post 19 education and skills training. The Government’s commitment to give more freedom to the FE sector means that the role of the SFA has changed significantly, and it no longer has a planning function. As a result it is now a much smaller organisation than it was 12 months ago.
	A new structure has been put in place which will enable the agency to operate more efficiently in its role of ensuring that public funding is allocated efficiently and effectively to meet the priorities set out in “New Challenges, New Chances”, which was published by the Government on 1 December.

Space Technology

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what space projects his Department supports; how much has been spent on each project to date; how much he plans to spend on each project in each of the next two years; what further projects are planned in each of the next two years; what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with HM Treasury on space issues; what the outcome was of such discussions; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The UK Space Agency has published a brochure describing the national space programme and projects 2011/12. It is available on the agency web site and explains more about each of the projects listed in the following table. Many are national instrument contributions to European Space Agency or international projects,
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/publications
	The UK also invests directly through the European Space Agency in a broad range of space projects in science, Earth observation, telecommunications and technology. These are listed on the UK Space Agency website:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/missions
	The outcomes have been positive and are reflected in a number of ways. One is the creation of the agency and its spending review settlement for 2011 to 2015. Another has been the additional capital funding allocated in the spring budget and autumn statement of some £35.7 million. This will support the start of a new national space technology programme, national e-infrastructure for space, and a new and novel low cost radar satellite constellation. If successful these programmes could attract over £160 million of private finance. Discussions continue on the space aspects of the next EU multi year financial perspective, and this will be decided in the timeline of the overall EU budget for 2014 to 2020.
	
		
			 Principal space projects and programmes managed by the UK Space Agency 
			 £ million 
			 Project Spend to date (including estimate for 2011/12) Planned 2012/13 Planned 2013/14 
			 JWST Mid IR Instrument 19 1 1 
			 GAIA Data Processing and Analysis Consortium 8 3 3 
			 BepiColombo MIXS instrument 2.5 0.5 0.5 
			 LISA Pathfinder Test Package 5.5 1 1 
			 Swift instrument and operations 10 1 1 
			 STEREO instrument and operations 3 0.5 0.5 
			 Herschel SPIRE instrument and operations 18 1 0.5 
			 Planck instruments and operations 18 1.5 1 
			 Hinode instrument and operations 7 0.5 0.5 
			 Solar Orbiter instruments 3.5 2.5 2.5 
			 Euclid instruments 1 2 2 
			 Future science mission studies 3.5 1 1.5 
			 TechDemoSat-1(2) 2 4 1 
			 UKube-1 and follow-on 0.5 0.5 0.5 
			 ExoMars instruments and other national space exploration 22.5 5.5 5.5 
			 NovaSAR(3) 0 21 0 
			 National Space Technology Programme(4) 2.5 10.5 TBD 
			 Centre of Earth Observation Instrumentation 4 1 TBD 
			 (1 )All costs are rounded to nearest £0.5 million. (2 )Technology Strategy Board is lead funder with some funding (£0.5 million) from UK Space Agency. (3 )Fresh funding announced as part of autumn statement. (4 )£10M from UK Space Agency plus additional contributions from TSB, SEEDA and research councils.

Students: Loans

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which designated courses at each higher education provider he has authorised to receive student loan funding in the last year; and how much student loan funding was allocated to each designated course.

David Willetts: Eligible full and part-time higher education courses at publicly-funded educational institutions in the UK are automatically designated for student support. Full-time distance learning courses and eligible higher education courses at private higher education providers may be specifically designated on a course-by-course basis at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable).
	I will place in the Libraries of the House a list showing which courses the Secretary of State specifically designated for student support purposes between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2011. This includes postgraduate courses which are designated for the purpose of disabled student allowances only.
	I will also place in the Libraries of the House a list showing the total amount of tuition fee loan and maintenance loan that was paid to eligible English domiciled students on specifically designated full-time courses at private higher education providers during the 2010/11 academic year.

Students: Loans

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of student loan funding was awarded to students studying at private higher education institutions in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: The proportion of total student loan funding awarded to students studying at private higher education institutions is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			 Academic year: 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 Maintenance loans 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.6 
			 Fee loans 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 
			 All loans 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.6

Technology Strategy Board

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value is of unallocated funding overseen by the Technology Strategy Board in each of the next five years.

David Willetts: The Technology Strategy Board's agreed core budget for 2011/12 is £317 million. I cannot be specific on future year allocations, but it will be in the order of £300 million pa in the current spending review period.
	The Technology Strategy Board's current uncommitted funding over the remainder of the spending review period is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2011/12 0 
			 2012/13 106 
			 2013/14 199 
			 2014/15 215

Training: Finance

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the statement on page 57 of the Autumn Statement (Cm 8231) that the Government will provide £4 million to Skills for Logistics to improve training approaches to increase the competitiveness and productivity of the logistics sector; how will these funds be allocated; who can apply for funding; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: Skills for Logistics have secured investment funding from the Employer Investment Fund administered by the UK Commission, of up to £4 million to undertake four strands of work over a two-year period. The investment funding is to work with employers to enhance the attractiveness of the sector to young people and individuals currently not employed in the sector. The investment will build skills solutions that ultimately inform and lay the foundations for a Modern Logistics Guild. This investment works with co investment from larger employers who are looking to establish an employer bond which will underwrite loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for apprenticeship training.

Work Experience

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has any plans to bring forward proposals for a legal definition of an internship.

David Willetts: We have no such plans. Internships are not defined in law; under employment and national minimum wage law, individuals can be employees, self-employed, workers, volunteers or voluntary workers.
	An intern's legal status is determined by the nature of the activities they undertake and the relationship with their employer. We have updated our guidance on Business Link and Directgov to provide more clarity on internships for employers and individuals.